Brick-forming machine



April 22, 1930. J. SIMONS 1,755,566

BRICK FORMING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 22, 1930 J. SIMONS 1,755,566

BRICK FORMING MACHINE Filed June 27, 192s 2 Sheets-Sh eet 2 l lz 1/eniorr Joseph. 6'1): ans.

Patented Apr. 22, 1930 UNITED STATES JOSEPH SIMONS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA IBBIGK-FORMING MACHINE Application filed .Tune 27,

This invention relates to brick forming machines. In the present development of the art, bricks are commonly made in brick forming machines adapted to deposit plasticbrick clay or mud in the brick molds of the proper size and shape. These molds are usually in the form of anelongated tray provided with a plurality of partitions dividing the tray into preferably six identical molds.

to facilitate removal of the unbaked plastic material from the molds, the inside surfaces of the molds are coated with sand and it'is an important step in the process of forming bricks, to so deposit the material that the sand is not disturbed from the bottom and sides of the molds. This is accomplished by forcing the plastic material through a jack die into each of the molds so that the material is deposited directly onto the bottom without possibility of scraping against the sides and then spreading to fill the mold with substantially no friction or rubbing action thereagainst. Then after the molds have been so filled, they are ejected from the filler to pass under a leveling blade which is so spaced above the structure supporting the molds that it passes tightly against the top of the molds and scrapes any surplus material therefrom.

An inherent disadvantage with this method, is the fact that the plastic material is possessed of a certain degree of elasticity, with the result that the blade compresses it in the molds as they pass thereunder, and that after the molds have passed the blade, the material springs upwards a slight distance out of the molds. If the raw bricks were to be removed from the molds and baked without removing this excess material, the top of each brick would be convex, which, of course, would be a very undesirable feature.

In order to obviate this convexity, it has heretofore been necessary to station a workman adjacent a point of discharge of the filled molds, to pass a long, heavy knife across the upper surface of the molds, and remove any surplus material which may have sprung upwards above the top of the molds. It is an object of my invention to provide means for removing a portion of the, contents of the filled molds mechanically, so as to obviate the In order 1928. Serial No. 288,553.

necessity of employing a workman to level the molds after discharge.

Another object is the provision of mechanism for removing a predetermined amount of plastic material which has been deposited in the brick molds so that the brick ultimately formed, will be accurately sized and shaped.

Another object is the provision of a device of the character described, which is adapted to remove a portion of the material from the molds before the molds pass under the leveling blade, with the result that the leveling blade smooths off the top of the material to impart a finished appearance to the brick after baking.

Another object is the provision of a device of the character described, which may either be operated manually or automatically in synchronization with the disposition of plastic material within the molds and discharge of the molds from the filling means.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out inthe appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of that portion of a brick forming machine wherein theplastic material is deposited into the brick molds, and showing the material removing device of my invention associated therewith in the position assumed thereby as the material is being deposited into the mold.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of the parts after the mold has been filled and is partially discharged from the filling means.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and2, showing the mold fully discharged and the material removing paddles elevated to permit the after wall of the filled mold and the forward wall of the empty mold to pass.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view taken upon the line 4 -4 of Fig. 1.

I F ig. 5 is a vertical,transverse, sectional view taken upon'theline 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In terms of broad inclusion, the device of the present invention comprises means for removing a portion of the contents of a brick mold after the brick mold has been filled With plastic mud, and preferably before the mold has been ejected from the filling means under the leveling blade.

In greater detail, a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a bar 6 which is mounted for rotary movement in a plurality of ournals 7', preferably upon the top of the jack dies 8 through which the mud or plastic brick material 9 is discharged into the molds 11. The embodiment of the invention herein shown and described, is as sociated with a, brick machine which is indicated in its entirety. at 12, and which is adapted tofillsix molds 11 or a unit of molds to, make simultaneously, any desired number Withinlimits, of brick or tile of any selected size and shape. The type of mold employed for. such a machine 12, comprises an elongated tray 13, divided by five transverse partitionsll to-divide the tray into the six identical brick molds 1 1 which are so spaced that each mold 1'1- of a tray 13 may be positioned under one of thejackdies 8.

The bar 6 extends transversely of the ma chine 12, closely overlying that end of the jack, dies 8 tewer l which the molds 11 re discharged after having been filled. A plurality of; paddles 1 6 are rigidly secured to e b r 6, ea hof the padd es 1 eing in register with one of the jack dies 8, The paddles 16' are ofsuch length that they may be, ext-ended, do nward thr gh e associated jack die 8 into-thebrick; mold 11 therebelow, a predetermined distance past the leveling; blade 15,,as clearly, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By rot ting the ba 6 however, the paddl s 1 111. 3- be ai e om he mo ds ll topermit theafter wall: 1-7 of the filled mold and thefor ard. all; 18 f th mp y old, to pass, as clearly shown in Fig, 3,

Means for operatingthe ba fi nd pa l s 16,.are provided Theend 19 of he r extends-through a sidewall 2l of the mud chamber 22. A lever 23. is rigidly secured to t-he ba -6 by eans of whi the r io otthe barf). may be effecte Meansfer synchronizing movement of the bar 6 and paddles 16 with the discharge of molds 11 from the filling means, are provided in; the form of a bracket 26 extending rigidly from the pusher 27. It is to be un derstood that the pusher 27 oscillates back and: forth. parallel to, the supporting table 28;, so that empty trays 13 may be inserted between; it and. those already upon the table 28,, The movement of the pusher 27 is so timed. that the molds 11 of that tray 13 which is positioned under the jack dies 8, may be filled from. the mudchamber 22 before. the pusher 27' moves forward, While the pusher 27 is in withdrawn position, an

empty tray 13 may be inserted so that when the pusher 27 moves forward, the filled tray 13 will be ejected from the filling means. Accordingly, the bracket 26 will travel backwards and forwards in time with the dis charge of the filled trays 13. The lever 23 is slidably received within a slot 29 in the bracket 26, which is of such length that when the pusher 27 and the bracket 26 are in fully withdrawn position as shown in Fig. 1, the lever 23 will be engaged to extend the paddles 16 through the associated jack dies 8 into the molds l1 therebelow; and when the pusher 27 and bracket 26 are in fully extended position, the lever 23 will be engaged to withdraw the paddles 16 to the posit-ion shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows 2 The mud or plastic brickmaterial, is fed to the mud chamber 22 in any convenient manner, and from there it is permitted to gravitate through the jack dies 8 into the molds 11 of the tray 13 therebelow. It is to be understood that the jack dies are so shaped and sized that they do not permit the mud to scrape against the sides of the molds 11, but deposit the mud directly upon the bottom of the molds from which position the deposited material swells outwards against'the sides of the mold until complete ly filled. An empty tray 13 is inserted between the tray 13 and the pusher 27 while this is transpiring. The pusher 2'? is then extended to force the empty tray 13 under the ack dies 8 and to expel the tray 13 with its filled 'molds 11, from the filling means. However, when the push-er 2? was in with,- drawn position, the bracket 26 engaged the lever 23 to extend the paddles 16 into the molds 11, with the result that the tray 13 is expelled fromthe filling means, a predetermined quantity of the mud is removed as the tray 13 is expelled from the filling means.

As the pusher 27 approaches the end of its stroke, the after end of the slot 29 engages the lever 23 to withdraw the paddles 16 from the molds 11 so as to permit the after wall 17 of the filled molds and the forward wall 18 of the unfilled molds, to pass thereunder. The pusher 27 is then retracted to permit the insertion of another empty tray 13 between it and that which has just been forced under the filling means. This of course, causes thebracket 26 also to be withdrawn so that the lever 23 is engaged by the forward end of the slot 29 to extend the paddles 16 through the jack dies again, and into the molds 11. This process may be repeated as long as desirable.

As thefilled tray is ejected from that position in which it is supplied with plastic brick material, a portion of the material is removed from each brick mold by the associated paddle 16, leaving a depression or groove in the upper side of the material in each mold. The material will stand up on each side of the paddle 16 a little above the sides of the mold, and as it passes under the leveling blade 15, this raised material is pressed into the mold, filling the groove, and smoothing the top of the raw brick.

The proportionate size and arrangement of the paddles 16 is such that just a suflicient quantity of material is removed from each mold to permit the remaining material to be leveled even with the top of the mold. Thus it may be seen that I have provided a device adapted to efliciently and uniformly regulate the quantity of mud in each mold so that the resultant bricks are all the same size and each is fully as accurately shaped, if not more so, than when leveled manually after ejection from the machine.

It should be understood that I do not wish to be limited in practicing my invention, not only in respect to making alteration in the arrangement of the mechanical details thereof, such as substituting a cam actuated sliding paddle for the swinging paddles described, but also in respect to the field in which the invention is to be employed, as it would be of equal utility in the art of making tile, or, in fact, wherever articles are formed in molds,

requiring changes of a minor nature only to,

adapt it to these uses.

Various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for scraping surplus plastic material off the top of said mold, and means operable before said scraping means for removing a portion of the contents of the mold.

2. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for scraping surplus plastic material off the top of said mold, and means for removing a portion of the contents of the mold while being discharged from said depositing means.

3. In a moldingmachine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for discharging said mold from said depositing means, and means operable as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means for removing a portion of the plastic material from within the mold.

4. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means operable as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means for removing a portion of the plastic material from within the mold, and means for leveling the remainder of the plastic material within the mold.

5. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for discharging said mold from said depositing means, a paddle movably mounted adjacent said mold, and means for extending said paddle into the mold as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means.

6. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for discharging said mold from said depositing means, a paddle movably mounted adjacent said mold, and means for extending saidpaddle into the mold as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means and for withdrawing the paddle before the after end of the mold is discharged.

7. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, means for discharging said mold from said depositing means, a paddle pivotally mounted adjacent said mold, and means for extending said paddle into the mold as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means and for withdrawing the paddle before the after end of the mold is discharged.

8. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a mold, a paddle pivotally mounted adjacent said mold, means for extendin said paddle into the mold as the mold is being discharged from the depositing means and for withdrawing the paddle before the after end of the mold is discharged, and a leveling blade extending across and closely overlying said mold.

9. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a plurality of molds, a paddle movably mounted adjacent each of said molds, means for discharging said molds from said depositing means, and means operable as the molds are being discharged from the depositing means for extending said paddles into the molds and withdrawing them from the molds.

10. In a molding machine, means for depositing plastic material in a plurality of molds, a bar mounted for rotary movement above said molds, a paddle carried by said bar above each of said molds, and means for turning the bar to extend the paddles into the molds, and means operable after said paddles have been extended into the molds for leveling the surface of said material.

11. In a molding machine, means for de: positing plastic material in a plurality of molds, a bar mounted for rotary movement above said molds, a paddle carried by said bar above each of said molds, means for turning the bar to extend the paddles into the molds, and a blade extending across and closely overlying said molds beyond said bar from said depositing means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' J OS. SIMONS. 

